


Loving the Crazy

by fangirleverything4



Category: Melissa & Joey (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25967905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirleverything4/pseuds/fangirleverything4
Summary: The story of Joe falling for Mel
Relationships: Mel Burke/Joe Longo
Kudos: 2





	Loving the Crazy

For as long as I can remember I've been surrounded by crazy. As a kid, my life was whirlwind of crazy. Constantly moving around after my father who was in the navy with my brothers was chaotic. Then the world of business that swept me up in a torrent of money, affairs, and living large. Then I watched as before my very eyes my entire life went right down the drain. I thought I knew crazy but I had barely scratched the surface until I met Mel Burke. 

~

She stood calm and bold as an short, stout man waved a trash bag at her. I may be here to demand information on her family but I wasn't going to let any woman be harassed like this. "Hey come on don't be that guy" I scolded him.

"Don't be that guy who brings your trash into a public arena and acts like a crazy person" I advised him patting him on the shoulder firmly. The guy nodded in embarrassment. 

"Act like a gentleman" I scowled steering him to his seat. 

"Thank you" Mel Burke smiled brightly at him. He had to admit she was beautiful but not really his type. 

"Now where the hell is the money your brother-in-law stole from me?" he yelled his bitter anger coming out. 

Joe watched as Mel's nostrils flared but her voice was steady when she answered. "What my sister and brother-in-law did was wrong, okay? But that's not me. Let me ask the room: does anybody here have a relative they're not exactly proud of?" Mel asked openly to the room.

Joe was taken aback by her open honesty and genuineness. He had been deceived and betrayed in every way possible but he could tell Mel Burke was not a dirty politician with an agenda. He glanced around to see almost the entire room had their hands raised. "Whew it's not just me!" she laughed in relief. Joe felt a small smirk tug his cheek. 

"Sir, if you have any questions about the ongoing investigations I'm sure my assistant can give you the numbers of those in charge. Now I'm afraid that's all the questions I can take" Mel continued smoothly taking a cue from her polished looking assistant who whispered in her ear. Joe turned and walked back to his seat shaking his head at how hard he's fallen.

~

Joe stood on Mel Burke's porch surrounded by trash bags wondering what the hell he was doing here. His emotions were ping-ponging around at the speed of light and he was trying his best to keep his sanity. The door suddenly whipped open to reveal Mel Burke looking stunning. "Oh gross" she groaned taking in the sight of him. 

He pursed his lips in irritation. There was a time when girls swooned when he walked by and now he was being turned down instantly by crazy blondes. "I was expecting my date" she hinted seeming much more crazed than earlier. 

He sighed. "I'll be quick. I was a jackass down at city hall and I never should have crashed your meeting asking where your brother-in-law was. That was wrong. I just wanted to come here and say that I'm sorry" I admitted feeling even more defeated. She looked surprised and grateful. Her blue eyes looked especially pretty when they were wide with surprise.

 _She may be the only person to actually know where Lewis is. Are you just going to give up? Just like that?_ "Bolivia!" he exploded and Mel jumped out of her skin. _Knew it!_

"Lewis is in Bolivia isn't he? You just flinched" I insisted. 

"I flinched because you shouted Bolivia. Okay people in Bolivia flinched" she replied rationally. 

"Look, I don't know where the hell he is! Now get lost and leave me alone hi Griffin" she shouted suddenly steering a guy inside who had managed to sneak up right beside me and I didn't even notice. I'm normally aware of my surroundings. The guy was taller with dark hair, handsome, and way too fashionable to be straight.

"Hey, don't you look nice and smell handsome" she grinned eagerly at the man taking a large whiff. 

"Who's this guy" Griffin demanded. 

"Oh no guy" she said swiftly striding forward and shoving me hard so I stumbled. 

I fell into the porch swing before straightening up again to watch the live entertainment that is Mel Burke. "I have a niece in crisis and I really want to go on this date but you know I have to spend time with her" I heard her rambling to her date.

"And I so want to be spending time with you but..man you smell great. Look, I'm really excited about this date I just can't go on it" she sighed regretfully leading her date back to the door. 

"So let me do this" I watched from the porch as she planted a large open mouth kiss on her date. The man looked shocked. 

"There. That should hold you for a few weeks. Maybe more. We just don't know" she said sounding nearly hysterical pushing her date out the door and slamming the door in his face. 

I laughed aloud. "Wow. That's a whole bucket of crazy" I said feeling a little better about myself. 

~

Like I said I'm use to crazy and something about the Burke house was drawing me in like a whirlpool. Once again I find myself standing on her porch this time to beg for a job. Once again, Mel Burke seemed excited to see me. If excited and annoyed are the same thing. "Relax it's a happy visit today. May I?" I asked cheerfully waving inside.

"No" she growled. 

Refusing to be deterred I told her my proposal on all the research I did last night. To her credit she did listen to the proposal before trying to kick me out. "Joseph Longo is not a lunatic" I said slowly. 

"Joe Longo? You're Joe Longo?" she asked closing the door. A small part of him felt a lick of victory that Mel had heard of him. 

"You ran Lewis' commodities division. You made him millions" she continued striding towards him sounding impressed. 

"Legitimate millions, yeah...that your bastard brother-in-law pissed away!" I said furiously. She raised an eyebrow at me. 

"Sorry happy visit" I forced a smile on my face shoving my hands in my pockets. 

"Yeah you went all Bolivia there for a minute" she retorted sarcastically. 

I nodded grimly. "So what do you think? Maybe you could get me a job downtown?" I asked hopefully.

Her blue eyes were filled with regret but not pity. "There's a hiring freeze. I'm really sorry you lost your job" she said honestly but breezily as she rushed towards the door once more. 

I laughed sarcastically as I expelled all the misery that was dominating my life as I flopped down on her very comfortable couch sitting on a red crisp folder containing nanny applications. She sighed in irritation. "How can I put this nicely? I've got my own problems" she replied. 

"So you're not gonna help me?"

"Do you live in my district?"

"Now that I'm living in my car, yeah"

"Look I've got meetings, a trash revolt, a kid on the brink and I'm in desperate need of professional help" Mel spewed hysterically. I glanced up surprised. 

"For the household not me" she said quickly. 

"Well, you're not going to find anybody this way. This salary sucks" I replied reading over the information.

"It's live-in. It includes meals which she'll be cooking because otherwise people will starve" she said mostly to herself. I thought of the cooking competitions I won as a kid. I could do this job easy. 

"She? It has to be a woman? What only vagino-Americans need apply?" I replied sardonically. 

She hissed, her nostrils flaring again. "Personal question: did your hair get sick of you and leave?" she taunted. 

This time my nose flared. "This is a choice!". Mel walked once more to the door. 

"All right, all right, all right look look look we both know that's a low ball offer. What's your top number?" 

"That is my top number" 

"All right you got a deal but I can't start till Monday"

"Who offered you a job?"

"All right, I can start today. I'm just gonna have to move a few things around. Mostly, my car. Tuesday is street cleaning isn't it?"

"You do know we're talking about a nanny here right? There are children involved. You ever work with kids?" she asked. 

"Are you kidding? Right out of college I ran a youth center downtown. I was in charge of 50 teenagers, cooked 'em meals, helped 'em with their homework. I was Charles frickin' in charge" I replied lying out my ass. 

She considered me. "Yeah you're perfect. There's just one little detail I don't really like you" she admitted stepping close enough that I could smell her flowery perfume. I narrowed my eyes as my heart thumped a little faster. 

"You know that school bus? Not running today" a teenage boy called from the doorway. I hadn't noticed him appear either. This woman is like a vortex. 

"Jackson Street's blocked because of some kind of garbage protest" he continued walking over. This boy looked very familiar but he didn't have Burke's blond hair and blue eyes. 

"Crap crap crap crap crap!" she swore stamping her foot. 

"Oh, I mean, golly, tough break" she amended patting him on the shoulder. "Okay I'll take you. I'll just miss my meeting. I mean it's not like we need the police department" she said wildly. Recognizing the building hysteria, I decided to step in. 

"No no no you'll make your meeting. I'll take him" I decided stepping around her and holding a hand out to the teenager. "Hey I'm Joe" I offered. 

"Ryder" he replied. 

"See that Porsche out there? Yeah it's mine" I said admiring my gorgeous car. 

"For ten more days" I growled. 

"Sweet" Ryder agreed. I helped Ryder clamber over the trash bags as Mel called warnings after us. 

"This car is awesome!" Ryder cheered climbing in. 

"I know" I sobbed before forcing myself to get a grip. 

"So why are you giving up the car?" Ryder asked. 

"Cause Lewis Scanlon robbed me blind the bastard!" I hissed buckling my seatbelt and nodding for him to do the same thing realizing his jaw was tight and he has paled a little. 

"Good ol' dad" Ryder scowled glaring out the window as I peeled away from the curb. 

"Dad? Mel is your"

"Aunt. She got stuck with us after Mom was arrested and Dad fled" Ryder growled. 

"Us?" I asked clearing my throat a little. 

"My sister Lennox and I" Ryder replied easily.

I noticed Ryder was rifling through his backpack. "Damn it I forgot my history paper" he said. I sighed and headed back for the house. 

"What's it like living with your aunt?" I asked. 

"It sucks. This all sucks" Ryder grumbled. 

"Tell me about it" I mumbled as I parked out the house once more. 

"Go get the paper" I told him. He looked toward the house and then back at me looking guilty. 

"I didn't quite write the paper yet" Ryder admitted. I sighed. 

"Well you better get up there and write that paper. Let's go" I declared. 

"Now tell me what needs to be tackled first in the house?" I asked as we walked back inside the now quiet house. I noticed Ryder had a key and made a note to make myself a copy. 

Ryder snorted. "Follow me" he suggested. Upstairs was the grand hellhole. Clothes, suitcases, toys, food was littered everywhere. _Well I always enjoy work. At least there's plenty to do._

"You paper now!" I yelled investigating further into the upstairs to see the extent of the house/garbage disposal. Ryder patted me on the back and headed off to one room. I opened the door next to it to find a filthy bathroom. Across from that was an messy room. Clothes were tossed everywhere from suitcases. A floral twin bed sat in the middle of the room with a treadmill blocking the closet and a shiny new dresser on the other side of the room. _At least there's places for the clothes to go once they are cleaned. I'm guessing this is the sister's room._ I left the room opening the last door in the hallway. This was another spectacularly messy room but judging by the professional looking clothes tossed everywhere this was Mel's room.

_Time to get to work._

~

"Can I speak to you in the other room?" Mel demanded. Her face showing just how ticked off she was. 

"Nice knowing you" Ryder called over his shoulder. 

"Oh I'll be fine" I told him confidently. 

"You lie, you bribe. Is there anything you won't do?" Mel listed off on her dainty fingers. 

"Windows" I joked laughing. 

I sighed deeply. "Look Burke I'm just trying to help you out here. I may have played it fast and loose but Lennox apologized to that Lunt woman right?" I asked her. 

"Yes yes she did...She also as it happens said a few nice things about me...in front of me. It's the first time since she's been here...Frankly it took my breath away" she admitted looking vulnerable and softer than usual. Joe felt something warm trickle into his chest and expand. 

"Oh my god you didn't pay her to do that to you too did you?" she gasped narrowing her eyes at me. 

I smiled at her. ""No she gave you that one free of charge" I said softly. She blushed lightly. 

"Although it may be my mere presence in this household sort of seamlessly pulling everything together" I bragged. 

"Hmm yeah let's believe that" Mel teased. 

_I can work with this woman. This infuriating, crazy woman. Too bad I don't have a chance._ "Oh I almost forgot. A Regency Nannies called. They said Mrs. Dietrich is available and that she'll be here tomorrow at 8 a.m. You didn't think I could handle this did you?" I asked sadly. 

"To be honest no" Mel called after me. I turned back to her. "Not until you pulled all that confidence out of your ass" she said dismissively. 

My heart jumped a little. "So is this official now? Because if not, I can just hop in my house and drive away" I said sarcastically. 

Her blue eyes studied me and my heart climbed up higher. "Yeah. Let's give it a shot. How bad can you be?" she teased her eyes soft and bright. She held out a hand to me. I slid my hand in hers feeling my hand encompass hers. 

"You'll find out wont you" I responded slyly a strange current running up my arm. Our hands held for extra second too long and I again felt that strange warmth building in my chest. I strode back into the kitchen and paused just inside the door. 

_It's a good thing I love crazy. Crazy can be beautiful sometimes._ I shook my head lightly as I glanced back to the beautiful blonde herself. With a soft sigh I walked over to begin cooking dinner. 


End file.
